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Post by joemac on Mar 26, 2010 19:55:42 GMT -5
I live in Southern MD and am interested in doing some sika deer hunting this year.
What should I know and where should I start. I will most likely be hunting public land. So I guess the largest tracts are fishing bay and blackwater? Are these even navigable by foot? Point me in the right direction.
A little background, I am an avid whitetail hunter so at least I'm not starting from scratch.
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Post by BIG FOX on Mar 26, 2010 22:15:59 GMT -5
if u don't have one buy a therma cell. if you go there with out one you will never make that mistake twice. there are tracks that are walkable. blackwater has some good hunting just have to do some homework.
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Post by THE DEER HUNTER on Mar 27, 2010 6:33:08 GMT -5
You are still starting from scratch..... ;D
They are a completely different animal. A lot of fishing bay requires a boat. All of blackwater has to be accessed by foot, just be prepared to do some walking.
GOOD LUCK!
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Post by joemac on Mar 27, 2010 8:42:27 GMT -5
I meant by not starting from scratch that at least I'm familiar with the processes of hunting a game animal and have most of the equipment needed. But I feel where you're coming from.
Are the public tracts full of people or are they big enough that you're not constantly bumping into somebody? When you say do some homework you mean go to the tracts and do some scouting and put together a game plan?
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Post by BIG FOX on Mar 27, 2010 13:20:25 GMT -5
there is alot of land available. if you are willing to walk you can get away from people. scouting is a huge plus. everything you know about whitetails willnot apply to sika. they are a totally different critter. they are a lot of fun but also a lot more work. if you can find private land that you can get on that holds sika tha is huge cause you can bait them alot better than whitetail. no baiting on public land but finding travel routes and wallows will help in locating them. hunting the rut is a must to really have a great experience.. the bugling and cow calls is AWESOME...
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Post by takem on Mar 27, 2010 21:37:18 GMT -5
Now is a good time to scout. Summer time skeeters and flies make it almost impossible to scout the swampy areas.
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Post by THE DEER HUNTER on Mar 29, 2010 8:32:57 GMT -5
Some of them are more crowded than others. I will look at photographs and maps to plan, along with scouting.
It is generally a lot more work than whitetail hunting, due to the terrain that you are going to have to deal with. All you can do is try it out though.
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Post by osprey on Mar 29, 2010 11:34:07 GMT -5
There are plenty of places you can walk to, but generally the harder to reach the better the hunting will be. Crowds will only be an issue on early muzzleloader and weekends of gun season, maybe Saturdays during October bow hunts. If you hunt during the week you'll rarely see another hunter, even during gun season. Check your maps, check sat/aerial photos and do some scouting. Scout now, you don't want to be in those places when it's 90 and all the ticks, skeeters and flies are out!
Best things you can buy for sika hunting are non-insulated hip boots for getting in, thermacell for the bugs and a light weight climbing treestand to stay mobile.
Blackwater can be great, but no offseason scouting allowed. Fishing Bay WMA has plenty of good areas, as do the CFL tracts in the same area.
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